To become a Rider
by S.A.Ness
Summary: When a egg comes out for Isabel, she starts her training to become a Rider. This gets complicated because she is descendant of Roran Stronghammer and everyone thinks she gets things easy. But when a new threat comes to Alagaësia she has to prove what she is worth. The story takes place 186 years after Inheritance.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Inheritance Cycle, even though I would really wish I did**

**A/N: It takes place 186 year after the war. Isabel is a descendant of Roran. It's my first fanfic so please be gentle.**

Chapter 1

"Your mom isn't going to like this" Walter said.

Isabel stopped climbing in the tree to look at him. "She will never find out about this if we don't tell her," Isabel said, glaring at him. She continued climbing without looking at him and said, "Besides I need to help him. I don't want him to fall."

She climbed farther until she came to the point where the cat was stuck in the tree. Careful she crept to him and let him sniff her hand. When she figured it was safe she picked him up and set him on her lap. She stroked him and the cat seemed to relax.

They were in Ilirea, the capital of the Empire. The view from the tree was beautiful from where she sat. She could see the castle and some of the land around it. It looked peaceful, which was surprising because it was always busy when you're on the square in front of the palace.

Walter and she had gone out riding in the morning and had said to their parents that they would be back before dark. They both loved riding, so nobody was surprised they would be gone for the whole day.

After a whole day of riding they had heard a cat meow. When they looked around they found out the cat was stuck in a tree and it didn't dare to come down. Isabel had wasted no time and had climbed in the tree to save him.

"Are you coming down of what?" She saw Walter was still at the foot of the tree, looking up to where she sat. "No, you come up here. The view is amazing."

It was quiet for a few seconds, as if he was contemplating what to do and then she heard him climb in the tree. When he was at the point she where she was sitting, he stopped and sat down next to her.

He looked to the view and said, "You're right, it is beautiful. I never knew it could look so peaceful."

They sat for a while just looking at the view. Then Walter took her hand in his, while he kept facing forward. She looked at him, but he kept forward. She realized she didn't really mind and quite liked it. She had this weird feeling in her stomach, like butterflies. She looked at the view again with a little smile on her face.

After a while they talked. It wasn't about anything serious, but it was nice. Just sitting there with your friend and letting the whole world pass by without noticing. She wished it could always be like this. But the sun had started setting down. The sunset was wonderful, but it made her realize they needed to get back. When she said this to Walter he sighed and said, "You're right, of course."

He began climbing back to the ground while she woke the cat up that had been sleeping on her lap the whole time. She put it on her shoulders and she was relieved to see it stayed there and didn't do something like putting his nails in her shoulder. Isabel figured it wouldn't be the nicest feeling in the world. Not to mention they might fall out of the tree.

She began climbing down and when her feet touched the ground, she took the cat back in her arms. They walked to the spot they had left the horses and climbed up. When they sat, she put the cat in front of her and she made sure the cat wouldn't fall of. Then they set for the castle.

**A/N I know it's short but I wanted to know the reactions. Hope you liked it and if I get some reviews I'll post another chapter**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle (shame on me)**

**A/N: I'm so sorry I took forever to update. I've been on vacation but now I'm back and I promise it won't take so lang anymore. Please review.**

When they arrived at the castle, it was starting to turn dark. On the square in front of the castle she saw that Leo and Stephan - servants of Walters dad - waiting for them. Isabel stopped and gave the cat she had been holding to Leo, while Stephan went to help Walter. When she had her hands free she got of her horse, Starlight, and took the cat back.

Walter came to her. He was taller than she was, which annoyed her a little. His black hair was a little messed-up because of the riding, but she liked how it looked. It made him look less stiff, the way he normally did when they were alone. She realized she had been staring at him when she heard him say something. She looked up in his warm brown eyes. "Sorry, what did you say?"

She hoped he hadn't noticed it, but then she saw his eyes were twinkling and she knew he had seen her confused look. "I asked if I would see you at dinner." He asked it in a polite tone, but she could still hear a smile in his voice.

"I'm not sure. First I'm going to take care of the cat and give it a name, and then I might be staying at Gabriel and Anne's for dinner. Knowing Anne she probably won't let me go until I had dinner with them."

Walter nodded, even through he looked a bit disappointed. "I'll see you at breakfast then. Maybe we can go out riding tomorrow again." With that he walked away, while she took Starlight to the stables.

Most people of nobility didn't take care of their horse themselves, but her dad had always told her that I was a great way to bond with her horse. This was the reason that ever since she could ride, she took care of her horse herself after riding.

Leo came with her to the stables and she asked him to hold the cat. While she brushed Starlight, she thought about a name for the cat. She couldn't really name it until she knew the gender, bit she could still think about names either way. When she was done she put Starlight back in the stable, gave him an apple. Then she took back the cat and thanked Leo for holding it. After that she set for Anne and Gabriel's house, which was about a 15 minutes walk.

When she was at Anne and Gabriel's house she knocked and waited with the cat in her hands. Her friend Gabriel was a healer, but he also took care of animals. She had never felt comfortable with any magician enough to let them take care off animals. The door was opened by his wife, her friend Anne. She squealed and hugged Isabel.

When Gabriel had married Anne last year they had become good friends. Since then Isabel had also become accustomed to her friend sometimes hysterical behavior and knew she would calm down soon.

"Where have you been?" Anne asked rapidly, when she let go of Isabel. "I haven't seen you in forever."

Isabel laughed. "You've seen me last week when I came for dinner. But that's not the reason I'm here now. I found this cat in the forest stuck in a tree and I was going to ask Gabriel if he could take a look at it."

Anne nodded. "He's taking care of a patient now, but after that he's free. Until then come with me to the sitting room. We can talk some more and I have cookies waiting."

They went to the room and sat down on the couch. Isabel didn't like to gossip and Anne knew that so they talked about what had happened in each other's life. Isabel was enjoying herself very much when Gabriel walked into the room. "Isabel, I thought I heard your voice." He walked over to Anne and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Isabel smiled at the sight. Anne and Gabriel had a very happy marriage. That didn't happen as much as it should at the castle. A lot of marriages were arranged, but Gabriel and Anne had fallen in love. They both weren't of nobility and it was a lot more self-evident to marry with the person you're in love with when you were both commoners. Isabel herself had never judged people on their ancestry, but she knew a lot of other people did.

Gabriel had brown hair, blue eyes and was the same height as she was. They had been friends as long as she could remember. Together with Walter and Helena they had always been a little group when they were children. Nowadays they didn't see each other much, except for Walter and Isabel. Gabriel had become a healer and married Anne. Helena was traveling the world and Walter was being trained by his father. Isabel herself didn't have much to do. She was the daughter of the earl of Palancar, descendant of Roran Stronghammer, so she didn't have much freedom. Her family had always been very loving, but she still had stick to the social rules. They stated that women of nobility couldn't work.

Isabel looked up to Gabriel. "Hi Gabriel. I came for you actually. I found this cat in the woods and I wondered if you could take a look at him. Make sure he's healthy and see what gender it is." The cat had been sleeping on her lap, but when it had heard Gabriel come in it had woken up.

Gabriel looked at the cat. "Sure, come with me." He let her to a little room next to the room where he treated patients. They went inside, and Isabel looked around. She had been here many times, when one of her animals was sick. There was a table in the middle and a shelf with books against the wall. The room wasn't very big, but Gabriel was the only person in the surrounding country that could threat small animals. That was if you didn't count magicians.

She put the cat on the table and watched as Gabriel examined the cat. He didn't say anything during it, so Isabel just stood there and watched quietly. After he was done he gave the cat a treat. "First off all, it's a male and he's healthy. He's a little thin, maybe even a little underfed. I suggest you don't feed too much at once, that way you can be sure his body can hold the food and slowly digest it. Do you have a name for him?"

Isabel nodded. "I'm going to call him Couger. Thanks for helping me."

Gabriel smiled. "You're welcome. You know I do it with love. I think it's actually amazing that you take care of all these hurt animals. You even did it as a child, whenever we found a wounded bird or some other animal. You always nursed them back to health." Isabel, who hadn't known about this, smiled back at him. She couldn't really remember it, but she could imagine it. It sounded like something she would do.

They went back to the sitting room where Anne was still waiting for them. She looked up when she saw them come in. "Is everything alright with the cat?" she asked.

"Yeah. I decided to call him Couger." Isabel sat down in a chair and Gabriel sat down next to Anne on the couch.

"That's a nice name. Do you want to stay for dinner? I'm making deer stew," Anne said, trying to tempt Isabel into staying.

Isabel could already smell a delicious scent coming from the kitchen. "Sure. You know I love your cooking."

**A/N: I promise next chapter the real story will begin. Please review!****  
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	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle (wouldn't that be great)**

**A/N I'm posting this one fast to make up for the time it took last time and I still have vacation. This chapter is where the story really begins. Please review**

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When they had finished dinner Isabel went back to her room. On the way she came across a group of women who were gossiping, which was why Isabel didn't stop for a chat. She let out a sigh of relief when she was finally in her room. It had been an exhausting day and she was glad to be back in her room and finally get some rest.

Her room was on the second floor of the castle and was mainly green. It reminded her of forests, and her home. Isabel always had the same room in the castle, and was the only one who slept in it because she was there for most of the year. She loved the Palancar Valley and its inhabitants, but her life and most of her friends were in Ilirea. Her dad kept traveling between Ilirea and the Palancar Valley and her mom always traveled with him. Her two brothers were free to do what they wanted, so she didn't really know where they spend most of their time. She was close with them, but they were 5 years older than her. She didn't always know what the others were doing.

She took Cougar with her, and put him in a basket with some sheets and food. She looked out of her window for a couple of minutes, but noticed it was getting late. She guessed it was somewhere around midnight, so she began to get ready for bed. She changed and fed Couger some meat and some milk. She made a mental note to take more meat with her, the next time she went to the kitchens. Then she blew out the candles and went to bed.

In bed, Isabel thought about Walter. Things had always been difficult for them. He was air to the throne and Isabel was the daughter of the king's most trusted adviser. People had always expected the two of them to marry. They had been young when they became best friends. Walter was only a year older than Isabel and they had been completely oblivious to those expectations. It made Isabel a little uncomfortable, because she had always tried to do her own thing. She had been determined not to feel anything for Walter when she had found out. She had been happy enough with them being just friends, but that had changed when they had started to spent time together, without anyone around. She was sure Walter had noticed it too. This had been almost a year ago, and Isabel was done trying not to feel anything. She had been happy when Walter took her had, and ignoring the way she felt about him was childish. Not to mention it would make both her and Walter feel unwanted pain that could be prevented. She was attracted to him, and liked him very much.

After a while Isabel decided that she wouldn't get any sleep this way and went to the kitchens to get a glass of milk.

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It was kind of spooky in the hallways of the castle at night. The candlelight kept flickering and made it look like the shadows were moving. Her room was on the second floor and the kitchen on ground floor, so it took some time to get there.

When she finally arrived at the kitchen she poured some water in her milk in her glass. She felt herself calm down after she sat there for a while, trying not to think about anything. She put some meat in a bag she found and went back to her room.

Along the way she saw some light coming out a room with door slightly open. Isabel knew it was the treasure room of the king and that it should be locked at night. She wondered if the king had gone in at night, but that didn't make any sense to her. The king would be asleep, just as the rest of the castle.

She peeked into the room and saw a man in dark clothing, standing by some sort of pedestal. He was holding something that looked like an egg-shaped stone to her. With a shock she realized it must be the dragon egg that was kept in the king's treasure room. She looked around to see if somebody was with the mysterious figure, but couldn't see anyone else.

What she did then, was possibly one of the stupidest things ever. She walked into the room a little so the guy could see her and said: "if I were you, I would leave that where it was and run. There are going to be guards here any second, I just called for them." She hadn't really had any time to call a guard, but she couldn't just let him leave with the egg. Chase him would be very difficult as well, considering she was in a nightgown.

The guy turned and when he saw her he bolted to the fireplace, with the dragon egg in his arms. Isabel ran after him, gathering the long ends of her nightgown up in her arms. Walter had once told her that most of the important rooms in the castle had secret passageways, accessible through the fireplace. She saw the thief push against a stone on the left of the fireplace and run into the corridor that opened. She followed him into the corridor because she didn't know how else to stop him.

It was dark in front of her, with some light coming for behind. She stopped for a second to orientate and then ran after the sounds she heard.

Isabel had a good condition, which came in handy running after the man. She was a little faster than he was and she could slowly hear him come closer. She would have been even faster if she didn't have to hold up her nightgown, but that didn't bother her too much. Later she saw light a head of her and it looked like they were heading to the forest, judging by she green tone in the light. She hadn't known that the secret passageways also let outside the castle. Isabel hoped that she could get to the man before she lost him in the forest, even if she didn't have any idea what to do when she reached him.

They entered the forest and Isabel was starting to have trouble keeping her breath steady. She often went running in the morning, when she was riding. She would just let her horse loose, free to graze. She knew it wouldn't run away. Of course it wasn't something that a noblewoman should do, but she now she was glad she could do it now. She saw that the man was also getting trouble with his breath and stopped watching his step. That was his mistake. He didn't see a large, smooth stone in front of him and slipped. Isabel couldn't believe her luck. She saw the egg slide in the grass and come to a stop against another stone. She hurried to it and picked it up. Then she turned around and saw the man getting up and running away. Isabel knew she wouldn't get him with her hands full and let him go. There was no way she would keep up with him with her nightgown restricting her.

She looked at the egg in her hands. She couldn't believe she was actually holding a dragon egg. She had grown up hearing stories about the Riders and their leader, Eragon Shadeslayer. It was a widely known tale. There were also rumors about her family being related to him. It was said that Roran Stronghammer -her ancestor- had been his cousin. Isabel didn't know what to believe. She had always hoped she would meet him someday, but the chances to that were small. He currently lived south of Alagaësia, where he had build a small town and a school for the dragons and their Riders. She had even seen some of the dragons with their Riders at the castle and had even talked to some, but it had always seemed some kind of fairy tale. Being free to go wherever you wanted, always having a companion around who would protect you no matter what, love you no matter what.

Isabel was shocked out of her thoughts when she heard something. She looked around to see what was making the sound, but didn't see anything. Then she heard it again. She didn't really believe it, but looked down anyway.

There was a crack in the egg. She set it down on the floor and stared at it in disbelief. She would have told herself it had been the fall that had broken the egg, but she knew dragon eggs were unbreakable. Nothing could make an egg break, except when their destined Rider was near them. As she watched, there appeared more cracks in the egg, breaking the light purple scale. The top wobbled, as if balancing on something that pushed it up. She watched as it was thrown of the egg and a little head appeared. It looked around, not focusing on anything. Isabel heard some more sounds and then at once the dragon egg fell to pieces.

The tiny figure was a light shade of purple. The eyes were a darker purple, as was its back, but the further you looked down the lighter the scales were. She thought people called it lilac. Its transparent wings were folded against its body. Isabel couldn't believe what she saw. In front of her stood a dragon.

**A/N Hope you liked it. PS: I love reviews. *hint hint***


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Inheritance Cycle**

**A/N: I am so, so sorry I didn't update. School started and I misjudged the amount of homework. I love writing this story and I will NEVER abandon it, but I really need to concentrate on school. I will update as much as I can but it will probably only be during weekends or vacation. I even stayed up late to write this chapter, because I had a little writers block.**  
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Isabel stared at it for a few minutes in awe. She looked at it better, trying to take in all the details. The dragon was purple, as she had noticed before. It's feet were almost white with a shade of something like lilac in it and the further you looked up, the darker the colour seemed to get. It's back was a dark purple. The dragons head however, was also light. The dragon was very little, but Isabel knew that they grew fast.

The dragon was looking at Isabel with it's head tilted. Isabel held out her hand, slowly touching the dragon. She wanted to know how the scales felt under her hand. Finally she touched the dragons nose. A wind seemed to blow. Isabel felt a burning sensation going from the palm of her hand through her whole body. She pulled her hand back, but tingling feeling stayed. When it went away Isabel looked at her hand. To her great shock she saw the mark of the dragon rider on the palm of her hand. If she remembered correctly, it was called a gedwëy ignasia.

That was when Isabel finally grasped the implications of what was happening. She was now a dragon Rider. Part of the famed group of heroes, part of the guardians of Alagaësia.

She had always been very interested in the Riders. She would be lying if she said that at one point she hadn't dreamed of becoming a Rider. She had hoped all her life she was indeed related to Eragon Shadeslayer, the one who had defeated Galbatorix. It was a famed tale and she sometimes had to deal with people who only wanted to be friends with her because of it. But now, she was part of the group.

The dragon had lost it's interest in her and started looking around. After a while it looked back to Isabel or more accurately, the bag with meat on her shoulder. She figured the dragon was probably hungry and started taking out the meat. It already was sliced so she just gave the dragon pieces of the meat.

Isabel was amazed with the amount of meat that the dragon ate. The bag was nearly empty when the dragon looked full. The dragon yawned.

Isabel fell something flicker against her mind. She had been trained to shield her mind, so she knew it was the dragon trying to contact her. She opened her mind and welcomed the dragon. Isabel was surprised with the melody which seemed the being of the dragon's mind itself. From stories Isabel knew that the dragon would in time learn to speak the human language. Now all she could feel where the emotions and see pictures. She felt that the dragon was contend and curious as to who she was.

Isabel sat down next to the dragon and was surprised when the dragon climbed on her lap. To Isabel, it seemed like the dragon was female but she didn't know how she knew that. She felt the dragon agree with her, even if she didn't know how to describe the feeling or how the dragon knew what she meant.

They sat there for a while, just exchanging pictures and feelings. She learned a bit about the dragons nature and the dragon learned more about her. The melody she had first heard come from the dragons mind still startled her. She had sheared thoughts with people before, but this was very different. Isabel also thought about a name, but came to the conclusion that the dragon should chose it herself as soon as she would be able to understand.

By the time Isabel realized they should be heading back to the castle, the sun was coming up. She groaned at the thought of having had no sleep and still stay awake the whole day, which she knew would be an exiting one. She stood up, with her dragon in her arms. At first she was unsure if it was safe, but the dragon stayed calm.

When she arrived at the castle she came across a couple of servants, but they didn't seem believe what they saw so no one stopped her. When she had been pondering what to do next, she had decided she would need Walters help. Not only because he was her friend (and maybe more), but also because he had the best connections to make this work.

Outside Walter's room she knew there would be guards so she took one of the secret passage ways. She wondered how it would be to sleep with guards outside your room. Walter was the son of the king so he didn't know any better, but she couldn't imagine it. She pushed against the blockage that was the fireplace in Walters room and felt it open a little. She slipped into the room and quietly walked to the bed. Walter usually slept until two hours after sunrise, which seemed to be the case now.

"Walter." No reaction. She said it again with a little push, but she watched out to not drop the dragon in her arms. Than she thought of a plan. She took the dragon, who had been lying in her arms contentedly and put her on Walter. The dragon understood what she was planning and watched Walter without blinking.

Slowly Isabel saw Walter waking up. When he opened his eyes the first thing he saw were a pair of dragon eyes watching him. His eyes widened and he shot up, throwing the dragon a bit back. He seemed to be freaking out until he saw Isabel. Then he started laughing. "This is your trick isn't it. Genius."

Walter looked once again at the dragon and back at Isabel. He frowned. "Where did you find a dragon?" the said dragon was watching Walter intently.

"Walter, I didn't find this dragon. I have a story to tell you, but you will have stay calm and listen to me carefully."

She explained how she had caught the thief trying to steal the egg, her chasing the thief, ending up in the forest and the dragon coming out of the egg. By the time she came to the last part, she saw Walter was trying really hard to not say anything and had started pacing while she sat on his bed. "So I thought it would be best to go to you, since you always know what to do" she concluded.

Walter stayed quiet for a while, lost in thought. She knew Walter and just waited till he would burst lose. It seemed like a million thoughts were going though his head. Finally, against what she had expected, he sat down on his bed looking defeated.

"What's wrong?" she asked, looking at him with a concerned look.

Walter, who had been sitting with his head in his hand, looked up to her. He took her hand. "Isabel, we will have to go to my dad and tell him about this. He'll probably send you to New Vroengard. You know how far away that is. It will take years for you to train and when you're done you'll go on missions. I love you and I don't want to lose you, but now I do not know how to keep you with me."

Isabel just sat there, shocked by what Walter had said. Partly because he had just confessed that he loved her and partly because she hadn't even thought what this would mean for them. She knew people had expected them to marry ever since they had become friends, but Isabel never had seriously thought about that. She knew she had feelings for Walter, but she didn't know how strong exactly they were. Now she was leaving and Walter had just confessed he loved her and she had realized she loved him back. And now, she was going away to years of training. She knew he was right and just sat there for a while, frozen.

Walter sat next to her, looking at her with a concerned look. It seemed he had realized he had just confessed to her that he loved her and was waiting for a reaction. Isabel didn't know what to say so she did the only thing she could think of, she kissed him.

It wasn't a long kiss but she tried to pour all she felt for him in it. When Walter came over his shock he kissed her back. She put her hands behind his neck and deepened the kiss. Then she pulled back and whispered; "I love you too." After that they just sat there, staring at each other trying to catch their breath.

**Phh, my longest chapter yet. You may have noticed the rating changed. I thought it would be appropriate, since the kiss. I once again apologise for not updating i'll try not to do it again. **

**Please oh my wonderful viewers, ! review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N So I think this update came a little sooner. I'm sick so I had time to write. I would like to give special thanks to The Goddess of Life because she made my day with her review. I won't make you listen to me ramble but I have an important A/N at the end. Now on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I take it you knew this story isn't mine. It's Christopher Paolini's. If you don't see a disclaimer in another chapter, you'll know I just forgot.**

**This chapter was kind of inspired by mine from Taylor Swift. I was listening to it over and over while writing this chapter. Normally I'm not her biggest fan, but I love the lyrics.**

Chapter 5

Isabel was nervous as she waited to be let into the throne room. Walter had gone in before them to talk to his dad. That had been an hour ago and they still hadn't heard from them. Isabel was nervous about what would happen. She wondered if this was the right choice. She could've hid the dragon. That way nobody would know and she wouldn't have to go to New Vroengard. Not that she wasn't excited to be a Rider and learn new things, but she didn't want to leave Walter. As she looked at the dragon though, she knew it wouldn't work. She couldn't do that to her dragon.

"The king will see you now." Isabel was shook out of her thoughts by a guard. She walked into the throne room. She saw that the king was in his usual place, his throne. Isabel knew that he sat there so he could intimidate people, but Isabel had been here more than one time with Walter so she knew how this would go. As she sat on the chair in front of the king, she could feel all eyes on her dragon. It gave Isabel the feeling she should protect her.

In the room were more people. She recognized all of them, but the only one that mattered to her at the moment was Walter. He was standing behind the king's throne with a concerned expression.

"So, Isabel, my son notified me that you bonded with a dragon. I see now that he spoke the truth. May I ask what you named him?" the king asked in a friendly tone. Isabel shook her thoughts and looked at the king. He had black hair and brown eyes. In Alagaësia he was known for his short temper and his wisdom in ruling the country. Isabel had respect for the man. It couldn't be easy to rule a country as big as the empire and still be sane. There were people who debated this, but she knew the king wasn't crazy. Simply because he didn't do such a nonsense.

"Her, sir, she's a girl and I decided that she can choose her name when she is old enough and she can speak our language." Isabel waited to see the king's reaction to this. Strangely enough, he looked satisfied.

"Interesting. Did you know that this was the way the Riders of old did it. They let the dragon choose it's own name. Nowadays the dragon are named directly after coming out of the egg so they don't really have a choice in the whole matter. It's nice to see that this has returned." The king was smiling. Isabel didn't really know how to react to this. The king wasn't known for being nice and Isabel didn't know why he was now. She looked at Walter and saw he wasn't comfortable with it either.

"Well, let's get to the point. I have notified your father and I expect him to arrive soon. You are 18 years, so you can decide to do whatever you want, but it may be nice if he is here to support you."

Then the throne room's doors opened again and her father, Martin, came in through the door. "I'm already here. I came as soon as I got your message. Isabel is it true?" Her father looked at her with a questioning glance.

"Yes, dad, it's true," Isabel said. For some reason she felt guilty. Her father had always been protective of her and she was sure he had realized that she would have to go away to train. Her dragon had been sitting on her lap. She took her in her arms and stood up. Her father seemed at a loss of words. He walked to her and looked at the dragon. "You can touch her, you know."

Her dad looked at her face for reassurance and then gently stroked the dragon. After that, he turned to the king. "I assume you want to send her and her dragon to New Vroengard. She will have to train." The king nodded. "Then there is something you should know something. We are indeed related to Eragon Shadeslayer. He was the cousin of our ancestor Roran Stronghammer. I do not know if this will inflict with her training."

Isabel was taken aback. She hadn't thought her father knew if the rumors were true. She realized that she would meet her great-great- something uncle. It felt a little surreal. She sat down and stroked her dragon absently. She could feel her dragon questioning what was wrong.

"I didn't know if the rumors were true, but it seems they are." Walter's dad said. "To your worry about Isabel's training, I do not think it will be a problem. I will contact queen Arya of the elves and arrange for Isabel to go the her. She will train her for a while and when she's are ready she can go to New Vroengard. Maybe Isabel can take a detour and come here."

While the king was talking she watched Walter. He hadn't said a thing during the whole meeting and it worried her. After they kissed, they hadn't really talked but gone straight to his dad. She hoped there was a way to fix this, but she couldn't think of one right now. Her dad and the king kept planning on what to do next, but the main plan was ready. Isabel still couldn't imagine saying goodbye to her family and friends. She knew it had to happen sometime.

"It's becoming evening. "the king said." We should leave and get ready for dinner. Isabel, with your agreement I would like to announce you as the new Rider."

This shook Isabel out of her thoughts. She noticed the sun was indeed setting. "If you think that is the right thing to do, you have my permission."

With that the people started to walk out of the room, including the king. Eventually only she, her father and Walter were left. Her dad still stood behind her and Isabel rose from her chair with the dragon in her arms. "That was that," her father said.

Isabel looked at her dad. "You're right. I'm sorry I didn't come to you first. I had no idea how to tell you."

Her dad gave her a hug. "It's alright honey. We just have to figure it out somehow. Now I believe there's someone who wants to talk to you," her dad said as he let go. She turned and saw that Walter was standing behind her. "I'll see you at dinner dad." Isabel said distracted. Her dad nodded and left.

"It really is going to happen then," she said while putting the dragon on the ground. "I'm really leaving."

"Yeah, you really are." After that he walked to her and they hugged. "I love you so much," Walter said. "Promise me you will come back. We can make this work. I always knew you wanted to live before you settled down. I'll be there when you're ready."

Isabel reveled in his hug. He was taller than her and she felt like she was surrounded with his warmth. It made her feel safe. "I love you too. You know I'll come back. You know I won't leave you." She pulled out of the hug with a bit of regret and took Walter's hand. She picked up her dragon and hugged it. Walter walked with her to her door. There he gave her a kiss and left to get ready for dinner.

She went into her room to find her personal maid, Eva, waiting for her. She had already picked out a dress and put it on the bed so all Isabel had to do was put it on. Afterwards she looked at herself in the mirror. Normally she didn't pay much attention to what she was wearing, but she knew everyone would be watching her tonight. She had put on a dark blue dress that matched the color of her eyes. People always complimented her on her eyes. They changed between blue and grey, depending on her mood. Her hair was a dark blond, sometimes like brown. Her hair used to be light blond, but as she got older it kept getting darker until it was at the stage it was now.

When she decided she looked okay and had made sure her dragon would be safe in Eva's care, she went to the dining hall. It hurt her to leave the dragon behind. It was so young. Finally she realized she had to go, or she would be late.

Every evening the whole castle came together to eat there. Every night they dressed fancy, women in dress, men in suit. To Isabel it always seemed futile, but she did enjoy that everyone talked to each other. There always were about 500 people in the castle and even more if there was a feast so the cooks were prepared.

That night Isabel sat with her family. It seemed her mom, dad and both her brothers were there. She hadn't even talked to them, but she knew her father would. Her mom was a bit emotional about the whole thing. She didn't want to believe her daughter was going away so soon. She had expected Isabel would stay with her for a long while since Isabel had never seemed interested in marrying. Her brothers on the other hand were excited. They were 5 years older than Isabel, but sometimes she could swear they were younger than her.

She talked to them while she ate until the king announced he wanted to say something. Isabel didn't hear a word of what he said. The people in the dining hall had fallen silent. Suddenly she felt everyone staring at her. "Isabel, if you would please stand up and come forward" the king said in a once again friendly tone. Isabel stood, not really knowing what to do, and just walked to the king. When she was next to the king he said: "People of Alagaësia, I present to you, the new Rider."

The rest of the night went in a blur of congratulations and well wishes. Finally Isabel returned to her room, with Walter walking beside her. She hadn't told anyone of them, so nobody protested. After a kiss good night and watching as he walked away, she opened the door, only to find her dragon standing right in front of her. She picked the dragon up and went inside. Eva was there, sleeping. Isabel smiled and gently woke her up. After saying good night Eva left. Isabel changed and climbed into her bed, with her dragon next to her. They exchanged thoughts for a good hour until they fell asleep tired from being up two days in a row.

**A/N There was the chapter. I'm quiet happy with it. So, the thing I wanted to say was that I'm looking for a betareader. I could go searching for one, but it may be easier if someone who already knew the story would do it. Just pm me or say in your review *hint, hint* if your interested and I'll get back to you.**


	6. AN

**Sorry to those who thought this was a new chapter, but I just wanted to say that I'm editing the chapters a bit with the help of my new beta FightingForMyDreams. The chapters really have to much mistakes in them so I'm correcting them and in the meanwhile I'm working on writing the new chapter. Also I'm going to write some messages of the story on my profile, so you all can see that I'm still working on it even dough it's been a really long time since I updated.**


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